I have read so many posts where people are going nuts over the fact that Apple has removed the headphone jack from the iPhone 7. Many of the complainers are Android Trolls that show up in every Apple discussion (they are easy to spot because they are the first to bring up off topic subject matter), but I believe there are still some actual iPhone users that are confused or have no idea what the removal of the jack will mean to them.
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In this article, I will discuss the many ways that you should be able to get audio from the iPhone.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
In this article, I will discuss the many ways that you should be able to get audio from the iPhone.
Convenient & Cheap
Let's be honest, most people don't care about audiophile sound quality. Therefore, most people fall into this category.
1. Apple will put a pair of lightning Airbuds in every iPhone 7 box. Nothing will be cheaper or more convenient.
2. Apple will put an adapter in the box with every iPhone 7. You can use your old headphones with it. If you lose the provided adapter, you can buy them for $9 from Apple. The funny thing is that many people speculate that Apple would charge $50 or more for an adapter, so it is surprising that you can get 5 or them for that price. Some people are saying it will be easy to lose, but lets be honest, you can buy a couple extras for very little money to have on hand at all times.
3. The iPhone 7 will have 2 speakers and will be more useful for audio than the current speaker.
1. Apple will put a pair of lightning Airbuds in every iPhone 7 box. Nothing will be cheaper or more convenient.
2. Apple will put an adapter in the box with every iPhone 7. You can use your old headphones with it. If you lose the provided adapter, you can buy them for $9 from Apple. The funny thing is that many people speculate that Apple would charge $50 or more for an adapter, so it is surprising that you can get 5 or them for that price. Some people are saying it will be easy to lose, but lets be honest, you can buy a couple extras for very little money to have on hand at all times.
3. The iPhone 7 will have 2 speakers and will be more useful for audio than the current speaker.
Wireless - on the go
A lot of people are moving to wireless headphones. They typically won't have the best sound quality, but you have a couple choices, you can get a Bluetooth wireless receiver and plug in any headphones or you can get headphones made for bluetooth.
1. Clipr - I can recommend this one since I have had it for years and it works great. It can run on electric power or on its battery. It has a clip that you can fasten to a collar to hold it in place while running. It is Bluetooth 4.0.
2. Apt-x Receivers - You can get similar devices these days that have a newer version of Bluetooth (4.1), so in theory, they might work even better.
3. SoundPEATS Wireless Headphones - I have a pair of these I use when walking the pups. I have noticed a delay with video, but for audio they work fine. They are only $20 and use Bluetooth 4.1.
4. Apple's AirPods - These things have some amazing features if you can live with the looks of them hanging out of your ears.
5. Higher End Bluetooth Headphones - I have a pair of Parrot ZIk 2.0 and they sound very good for Bluetooth. The iPhone app comes with an equalizer, the ability to fine tune how much noise canceling you want, and look great. There have been some complaints about durability, but mine still look like new. There is a new version of the headphones, but I don't have first hand experience with it, but they areZik 3.0. Many people also like the Bose noise canceling headphones, so they are an option, as well.
1. Clipr - I can recommend this one since I have had it for years and it works great. It can run on electric power or on its battery. It has a clip that you can fasten to a collar to hold it in place while running. It is Bluetooth 4.0.
2. Apt-x Receivers - You can get similar devices these days that have a newer version of Bluetooth (4.1), so in theory, they might work even better.
3. SoundPEATS Wireless Headphones - I have a pair of these I use when walking the pups. I have noticed a delay with video, but for audio they work fine. They are only $20 and use Bluetooth 4.1.
4. Apple's AirPods - These things have some amazing features if you can live with the looks of them hanging out of your ears.
5. Higher End Bluetooth Headphones - I have a pair of Parrot ZIk 2.0 and they sound very good for Bluetooth. The iPhone app comes with an equalizer, the ability to fine tune how much noise canceling you want, and look great. There have been some complaints about durability, but mine still look like new. There is a new version of the headphones, but I don't have first hand experience with it, but they areZik 3.0. Many people also like the Bose noise canceling headphones, so they are an option, as well.
Charge and play music wirelessly at home
Over and over again, I have heard the question related to how you would charge them and play them at home. If you want to charge your phone and listen to headphones, the best options cost a bit of money, but you will can very good sound quality with the right headphones.
1. Airplay - I mainly use Airplay at home and I have written numerous articles about it on this site (check my search box). The upside is you can add Airplay to any radio or stereo that has an Aux input or buy a receiver or speaker with Airplay built in. The AppleTV, Airport Express, and third party cheap devices are easy to come by. If you have an Nvidia Shield, you already be able to accept an Airplay stream.
2. Chromecast Audio/Chromecast - It is more limited than Airplay, but a great option based on price, if you use services that are compatible. Of course, the Nvidia Shield and many TVs have Casting built in.
3. Bluetooth - The Bluetooth Receivers I mentioned above can plug into a stereo, as well. However, you could also get a Bluetooth receiver that stays plugged in all the time.
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4. There are also pleny options like Sonos, Bluenode, Denos Heos, DLNA, etc.
(Note: In a lot of these scenarios, you aren't actually play music directly from the iPhone. With many of them, you are using an app on the iPhone to stream music to a third party device directly from the web. Also, it should be mentioned that if you have an old run down router, you might have issues. Bluetooth, it should be noted, does not require wifi.)
1. Airplay - I mainly use Airplay at home and I have written numerous articles about it on this site (check my search box). The upside is you can add Airplay to any radio or stereo that has an Aux input or buy a receiver or speaker with Airplay built in. The AppleTV, Airport Express, and third party cheap devices are easy to come by. If you have an Nvidia Shield, you already be able to accept an Airplay stream.
2. Chromecast Audio/Chromecast - It is more limited than Airplay, but a great option based on price, if you use services that are compatible. Of course, the Nvidia Shield and many TVs have Casting built in.
3. Bluetooth - The Bluetooth Receivers I mentioned above can plug into a stereo, as well. However, you could also get a Bluetooth receiver that stays plugged in all the time.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
4. There are also pleny options like Sonos, Bluenode, Denos Heos, DLNA, etc.
(Note: In a lot of these scenarios, you aren't actually play music directly from the iPhone. With many of them, you are using an app on the iPhone to stream music to a third party device directly from the web. Also, it should be mentioned that if you have an old run down router, you might have issues. Bluetooth, it should be noted, does not require wifi.)
Plug in and Play
There are currently a couple stand alone options for charging while playing music.
Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge - This has two lightning ports, so you can charge and listen to music at the same time. I expect we will see more of these on the market soon.
Apple Dock - This gives you a dock for your phone and an analog output to plug in headphones.
Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge - This has two lightning ports, so you can charge and listen to music at the same time. I expect we will see more of these on the market soon.
Apple Dock - This gives you a dock for your phone and an analog output to plug in headphones.
Software
You can also send audio to a computer wirelessly. There is a program called Airfoil ( I have articles about it, as well) that turns your Mac or PC into an Airplay receiving device. This give you the ability to send audio from the iPhone to the Mac/PC and then use the computer to feed an amp or you could use the headphone port of the computer. It is really useful if you want to plug your computer in to a stereo across the room and use your iPhone to stream to it.
Kodi - I haven't used Kodi on the computer in a while, but it used to have an Airplay receiving option built in. I would suspect that it still does.
Kodi - I haven't used Kodi on the computer in a while, but it used to have an Airplay receiving option built in. I would suspect that it still does.
DACs
Personally, I have been using external DACs to get music out of my iPhones for a while. I don't have an iPhone 7 for testing yet, but I believe it has the same functionality as the 6S+.
You will typically need one of the camera connection kits to get this to work. If you want to charge, you would want their Lightning to USB3 adapter which has a port for USB and another port with Lightning for charging. For on the go, you might prefer a slimmer profile and they have the single port Lightning to USB adapter for that.
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Dragonfly DAC with Plugable - I have written about this setup numerous times. It works great, sound great, and its portable. Dragonfly now has DACs that can work without the Plugable if you don't already have the Original Dragonfly laying around. Of course, Dragonfly isn't the only portable USB DAC, so there are probably other options. I prefer the Dragonfly because it is small. I also have an older NuForce DAC and it works with this setup, as well.
Powered USB DACs - There are powered DACs all over the place at different price points. With the USB3 to Lightning adapter, you can send audio to the DAC and charge the iPhone at the same time. I have a Cambridge DAC Magic, Little Dot DAC 1, and they both work with this setup without an issue.
You will typically need one of the camera connection kits to get this to work. If you want to charge, you would want their Lightning to USB3 adapter which has a port for USB and another port with Lightning for charging. For on the go, you might prefer a slimmer profile and they have the single port Lightning to USB adapter for that.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Dragonfly DAC with Plugable - I have written about this setup numerous times. It works great, sound great, and its portable. Dragonfly now has DACs that can work without the Plugable if you don't already have the Original Dragonfly laying around. Of course, Dragonfly isn't the only portable USB DAC, so there are probably other options. I prefer the Dragonfly because it is small. I also have an older NuForce DAC and it works with this setup, as well.
Powered USB DACs - There are powered DACs all over the place at different price points. With the USB3 to Lightning adapter, you can send audio to the DAC and charge the iPhone at the same time. I have a Cambridge DAC Magic, Little Dot DAC 1, and they both work with this setup without an issue.
Amazon Echo Dot
I had to put the Echo Dot in its own category because it is simply awesome and just came to market at a $50 price point. It can attach to any audio system that has an aux or RCA inputs. The great thing is that once you pair it to the phone, you can be playing music on your iPhone, say "Alexa pair with Phone" and music simply starts playing over your speakers. It feels like the future.
Some of its amazing capabilities are in the video below.
Some of its amazing capabilities are in the video below.
Lightning Headphones
We will see more of these come to market in the near future, Below are two of the better choices at different price points:
Audeze SINE On-Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones with Integrated Lightning Cable for Apple iPhone/iPod/iPad (~$500) - These have a high end DAC built into the cable.
Brightech - Apple MFi Approved Pure Lightning Headphones (~$40) - Another Lightning option currently on the market.
Audeze SINE On-Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones with Integrated Lightning Cable for Apple iPhone/iPod/iPad (~$500) - These have a high end DAC built into the cable.
Brightech - Apple MFi Approved Pure Lightning Headphones (~$40) - Another Lightning option currently on the market.
The Wrap Up
Not sure I covered every option above, but you can see there are numerous options at many different price points depending on how picky you are about sound quality. I personally use Airplay at home most of the time, USB portable DACs on vacation, and bluetooth in the car and at work. All of them have their place. However, I stopped using the headphone jack with any frequency a long time ago, so for me, the news that Apple dropped the port was met with a yawn. If I missed any obvious options, drop me a comment or email and I will revise this article.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
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